Reviews

Histeryczki by Roxane Gay

tortoasa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

gingerjane's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, and Child death

dreaming_ace's review against another edition

3.0

This was a very intense collection of stories dealing with some very heavy topics. Many of the stories include references to rape and miscarriages and death and sex. Interesting to read but also very "difficult" to read too so be prepared (and you might want something lighter to read between stories)

vexyspice's review against another edition

5.0

I read Bad Feminist perhaps a year ago and i remember reading those short stories desiring a little more when i finished them. Reading difficult women didn't leave me feeling like that too much. The stories were all engaging. A few made my heart hurt but I understood all the women in the stories. They werent so much difficult [women] as much as their circumstances were which ultimately made them behave the way they did.

Gay's writing never disappoints.

crazystraw44's review against another edition

Accidentally returned in
Not interested in finishing it 

bangerz's review against another edition

5.0

At times I found the themes of these short stories difficult. Not bad, incredibly difficult to acknowledge their truth. In a way this is thematically a prequel to Not That Bad, one of my favs.

bookish_emily's review against another edition

4.0

Wow. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but I was not prepared for the reality. This collection of fictional stories features women from all walks of life experiencing a wide range of human emotions and relationships. Raw and blunt, most of the stories cover topics often avoided because they make people uncomfortable - sexuality, abuse, fractured families, and others. Roxane Gay shies away from nothing, and her stories challenge traditional portrayals of women in literature. This collection is well-written, but not for the faint of heart.

lynecia's review against another edition

The women in these stories are not "Difficult" - they are traumatized, abused and dysfunctional. This collection is "difficult" to read though. I'm definitely offering a trigger warning here - beware. For those who've read her novel, you won't be that shocked in the way Gay renders trauma and abuse on her female characters. It was tough to see it happen to character after character, and honestly I was glad when it was done - it was just that tough to read at times.
The collection does have its "higher points" the stories that have a touch of magical realism in them: Requiem for a Glass Heart", "The Sacrifice of Darkness" - if you know you can't stomach the "difficult" subject matter, I'd recommend reading those.

readingafrica's review against another edition

dark sad tense

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

joan_anne's review against another edition

4.0

*Goodreads Giveaway* I had already read this book prior to winning it in this giveaway (it had finally come up on the waitlist for me at the library so I couldn’t turn it down). While I read it then, quickly, I was sad because I wanted to spend more time with the women in each of these essays. Tremendously raw, these stories give emotional insight into the lives of women that exist in our world, and perhaps ones you know without realizing it.